Category Archives: tips and tricks

Code brown

We all know that feeling: cramping, nausea, flatulence, butt clenching dread. It starts off seemingly innocuous, maybe you have a few mild twinges in the lower abdomen but the urge passes. Next you find that urge has been replaced with a continuous barrage of intense peristaltic action, so forceful it can make your eyes cross. As you run around frantically trying to find a place to go you start to beg, pray that you can control it long enough before … Continue reading

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Never too busy to run: 5 tips for training with a busy schedule

There are times in my life when I let myself bite off a little more than I can chew. The past few weeks have seemed like one of those times. Coincidentally, the past few weeks have also been the beginning of Ironman Training. Looking back today, that could have been a recipe for disaster. The first few weeks were the base building phase, and although I have a strong base from running a marathon late last year, I’m not planning … Continue reading

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Ultramarathon training for beginners: Lessons learned from my first ultra

Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find some amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own; sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through obstruction. -William James I have to admit I’m no ultramarathon expert—far from it, in fact. I did my first and only ultramarathon last spring—the Ice Age Trail 50, which takes place in the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest in La Grange, Wisconsin. … Continue reading

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Triathlons for beginners 101: The why and the how

Photos by (respectively): Michael Foley,USFK, and Marco. Triathlon is one of those sports (OK, three sports) that has the ability to define you as an athlete and as a person. It makes you push yourself into a new perception of what you can accomplish. Triathletes come in all shapes, sizes and abilities. The thing is, no matter what your ability, you’re out there with people who will share many of the same loves and fears of the sport as you … Continue reading

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8 transition zone tips to finish a faster triathlon

photo by Dustin Williams It’s like something out of a bad dream: You have the swim of your life, rushing out of the water with tenacity and focus, peeling off your wetsuit as you run into T1. As you prepare to mount your bike exiting the transition, you realize something really, really important: You left your bike shoes at home that morning. As a triathlete, you probably prepare for your swim, bike, and run portions diligently for each race, but … Continue reading

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Adding speed to your routine for 2011

Both myself and the handful of dailymile athletes that I’ve coached have had success in combining easy base running with speed and tempo running to build strength, race speed, and race endurance. You may find yourself scanning through your friends’ workouts and get overwhelmed by the “this many at 5k pace, that many at marathon pace, this much float, that much warm-up and cool-down.” So, for the runner that is just getting more interested in running more races and improving … Continue reading

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New Year’s Resolutions Woes

This past Monday started off like any other Monday: I woke up blurry eyed, yelled at my alarm, stumbled down the hallway, struggled to get dressed, grabbed the tallest cup of coffee I could find and high tailed it to the gym. By all accord everything seemed like a scene out of ‘Groundhog Day.’ That is until I got to the gym, looked around and noticed the usual early morning crowd had nearly doubled in size. Then it dawned on … Continue reading

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Baby, it’s cold outside!

It’s been a couple months, but at least two-thirds of us have been battling it – cold, dark winter. It’s here. Well, it’s been here. And I don’t know about you guys, but here in Wisconsin it’s COLD. My running friends and I have reached the point where we wake up hoping to see a temperature in the 20s, because single digits are just getting old. And cold. Are you seeing a theme here? “Cold.” So how do we fight … Continue reading

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